While the current NBA season remains on indefinite hiatus, we’ve been spending a lot of time going back through the archives to highlight some of the best single-game and overall season performances in Oklahoma City history.
As it turns out, the Thunder have been part of more than a few instant classics in the little more than a decade since the franchise relocated from Seattle back in 2008.
Today’s blast from the past: a 149-140 double-overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in which the Thunder needed a then career night from Russell Westbrook to outlast a career-high 51 points from Kevin Love.
The 51 points is still a career-best for Love, who finished that game 16-of-27 from the floor, including a 7-of-11 mark from 3. He was also 12-of-16 from the charity stripe, and pulled down 14 rebounds as part of a double-double.
Westbrook, who called the game a “team victory” according to ESPN, scored his 45 going 17-of-28 from the floor and a perfect 9-9 from the line.
Kevin Durant added a 40-point, season-high 17-rebound double-double, saying afterward, “That’s going to be a game that’s going to be played for a while now. It was fun to be a part of. … We made some big plays. Guys trusted each other, and that’s what good teams do: make the right basketball play.”
The Thunder went on to finish the year 40-24, falling to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
Watch the full highlights here:
